Being The Dad of Twins

It Has Been A While

2010-04-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since I have blogged about anything in my life and I apologize for those of you that are following my blog. The last I wrote something I was headed to Ft. Myers Florida for the Annual At Home Dads Fishing Trip. It was another small intimate group once again with only four of us fortunately being able to make the trip. It was a lot of fun together with Jim LoCascio, Tim English and Bob Boisvert once again. It was a great time and hope that I am able to make it again in March 2011.

This past weekend I took my twins to the Annual Kids Explore showcase that was held at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs Iowa. It was pretty interesting with all of the exhibitors that were there and the interaction that my twins were able to participate in. The highlight was supposed to be getting to meet one of their favorite cartoon characters, Diego from Go Diego Go. This was the only problem with the entire event. The first time we attempted to get in line to see Diego, we were told that Diego had to take a break for some other shows in the event. The people also advised that Diego would be gone from the greeting stage for an hour. So I decided we would come back and see Diego later. The next time we got in line we were actually moving quite slowly and the people announced that Diego was going to have to take a break once again in about five minutes. It was not even one minute later and they announced that Diego had to go on an animal emergency. Talk about being disappointed for my kids. It just made that effort so not worth the experience.

Fortunately there were plenty of other things to see and do. I made contact with the Co-Founder of Fat Brain Toys and may get them to sponsor the At Home Dads National Convention this year, spent time at the Momaha dot com booth with my friend Al and there were even pony rides and a petting zoo that helped to distract my twins from the disappointment of not meeting Diego. Plus I let them have their faces painted and participate in some of the games in the various booths. Overall the experience of Kids Explore was pretty good and the twins did sleep well that night. Hopefully if I choose to head out there next year that what ever the big celebrity making an appearance, that the twins will actually get to see the person this time.

At Home Fishing Trip

2010-03-17T13:49:00.001-07:00

I am excited because tomorrow I head to Ft. Myers Florida for the Annual At Home Dads Fishing Trip. It is put together by my friend Jim LoCascio who lives in the Ft Myers Metro area. This is the second year in a row that I am participating on the trip and it will be the same four dads as last year who were in Cape Canaveral Florida. I am hoping that the weather will be a bit warmer that what I have been dealing with here in Omaha. The winter this past season here has been a bit harsh however, probably still not as bad as any winter that I lived through growing up in the suburbs of Chicago.

The nice thing is that the dads are staying at a little mom and pop motel that has great beach access and we are fishing the next morning after I arrive. I just hope that we have better luck fishing this year than last. We caught a couple of fish and the one I caught I had to release as it was larger than Florida regulations for fishing the inlets or waterways of the state. It is wild that I pulled in a red fish that was 31 inches in length and would have been hopefully tasty however, it was just to freaking big by a whole five inches. On Saturday it looks like we will be fishing right on the shore at the motel and will allow for relaxation and just hanging out. I am also hoping to see some family and friends while I am down there. Who knows if any of that will pan out. I come home Sunday and if I am very lucky with United Airlines I may even make it in time for my hockey game as well.

All I know for sure is that I am looking forward to some relaxation and time away from the family and just having some peaceful fun. It is fun to be able to live like a bachelor again for a few days however, I know I will miss my twins and will be glad to be home again and into the regular routine once again.

Having A Great Pediatrician

2010-03-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

We had a fun weekend last weekend doing to the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City KS except for the fact that Isabel had issues sleeping. As the week has progressed, Isabel feels better and Sammy started to feel worse. Sammy woke up from his nap on Tuesday crying that his ear hurt. I called our pediatrician to discuss it with her because of previous ear infections and that Sammy lost one of the tubes placed in his ears.

Our pediatrician, Mark C. Dek of Village Point Pediatrics is the best in the Omaha Metro area. Mary actually returned my call, which I prefer and advised to bring in Sammy today after school. Upon examination it turned out that sure enough Sammy does have another ear infection. Mary called in a script for antibiotics and sent us on our way.

Now this is not unusual for us with Mary Dek. We were fortunate enough to find out about her from friends of ours back in Southern California who have friends who recently moved to Omaha as well and were told that Mary Dek is the best in the business of pediatrics. The twins have been under her care ever since. Mary is very personable and even if only one of the twins is showing any symptoms, checks both kids out. I do not think every pediatrician out there takes this sort of approach however, I am glad that Mary does. The good thing is that Mary also understands that I prefer to talk with her versus the nurse who is working the call center or returns calls to review my message. I look at it this way, I am trusting someone with the care of my children and that is who I always want to talk with. There is nothing more frustrating when I talk with three or four different people at any doctor's office and have to repeat myself. Talk to the person I need to and get the answers I need to feel safe and secure.

I am just so glad that when the children have any health issues (being multiples, preemies) all I have to do is call and I usually talk directly with Mary. It is this little extra mile of effort that I so appreciate and I am grateful that Mary goes that extra step to make me feel more comfortable. I am hoping for that reason alone we stay in Omaha however, I so wish I was back in So Cal after the winter we have had. Question is, would I be able to convince Mary Dek to move to SoCal as well?

Another Struggling Day

2010-03-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

It seems that things will never change with my son. I have done my best to allow my children the freedom to develop who they are and being the unique individuals that they are. My son however, pushes his limits every day. Today has been particularly difficult as he has raised his hand to hit his sister and then denies it, just denied running in the house when we have made this a rule for both children as they tend to run until one or the other wipes out and it is usually my daughter that is on the falling down program. My son is very competitive every day and struggles to just let things be. He thinks that it is acceptable to talk back or mock in an unflattering way. As much as we do our best to just provide time out after time out, there has to be a better way of working things out. My son also likes to make sure that he is able to spill anything and everything he is able to. When I talk with him after the scolding session and ask him why he does what he does and he acts totally dumb. He just sits there and says, "uh, uh, uh" and is not able to answer the question. I do not think that my son is dumb especially when the preschool teacher says he is very intelligent however, I know he understands what we are discussing and he knows what he is doing. The thing I wonder the most if I was this rambunctious as a four year old as well? I am not sure because I have memories of my spirit being broken from a very young age and I am hoping that I do not do that to my son.

First Trophy Earned

2010-02-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

It has been fun as my son Sammy has really gotten into hockey. It started off when my mother-in-law bought Sam a little plastic golf set with a iron/wedge and a putter. Sammy started using the clubs as a hockey stick and things have grown from there. I found a local news publication that had two different ads for learning how to skate however, the second one I found also advised that they would teach a child as young as three years of age how to skate and how to play the great game of hockey. Five months later Sammy has been playing and the Fall/Winter 2009-10 season has come to a conclusion. Last Saturday the 20th was the final practice for the season. The kids basically just played hockey the entire hour that they were on the ice. At the end of practice the kids were all lined up in alphabetical order and each one was presented with a trophy to call their own. Each trophy was actually personalized with each child's name. Of course Sammy does not want to let it out of his sight and it has been a struggle with Sammy to not play with it so that we are able to keep the trophy in one piece. We have finally settled things with Sammy by letting the trophy sit on his night stand so that he at least sees it every day and it is the last thing he sees at night and the first thing he sees in the morning.

In wanting to encourage Sammy and his quest as best I am able to, I have taken up the game myself with the hope that as Sammy gets a little older and finally drops afternoon naps, that we'll go to a local rink when they have "Stick & Puck" which is where a player is able to work on both skating skills and stick handling skills. It is something that I look forward each day as I do my best to learn the great game of hockey and hope that Sammy continues his love of the game. The fun part is that Sammy has his first team trophy about four and one half years before I ever received my first trophy when I was growing up. I just hope his trophy stays in great shape, I pulled my name plate off mine and it is not the same.

Struggling With Wanting To Blog

2010-02-17T11:59:00.000-08:00

As it has been a while since I last spewed about what ever was on my mind back on January 27th, I just struggle with what I want to say each and every time that I know I should be blogging. Do I write about my marital issues, the challenges and rewards of having four year old twins, my love for my favorite professional sports teams or what specifically. I know that I wanted to take this on and make it something worth while that people would want to read however, I struggle with coming up with something that may be interesting. I will do my best to work on updating the insanity that flows within my own head however, I ask that people give me a chance to figure out how I best want to use my blog. For now this is where my mind is at and it is a struggle for me. I know that there are others out there that are more gifted at this than I am however, I will do my best to be more diligent in my efforts to put something out there for people to hopefully read and enjoy.

The Pleasures Of Wife's Travels

2010-01-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

I continue to do my best to accept that my wife has to travel for her job however, to remain positive with all the travel that she is doing is becoming more and more of a challenge. My wife is traveling quite a bit more once again and it is taxing on the twins and myself. The marriage itself is still somewhat rocky and the twins feel totally incomplete when mommy is not here and are always counting down to the time that mommy returns. Last week the wife was in Toronto Canada, this week it is East Lansing Michigan and next week it is Washington D.C. I have developed a way to help the twins figure out when they will get to see mommy once again. What I do it give the twins the amount of sleep times that they must get through in order for mommy to be home once again. This week the count was a total of five sleep times. This would not be so bad if my son was not asking me every second how many more "sleepies" until mommy's home. I guess that I have set myself up for that however, it does help to give the twins a perspective as to when my wife will return home. She has seven more trips planned at this point that I am able to see and a couple of late nights at work while here in Omaha. This was something I struggled with when we first got married and initially it was not to bad however, it seems that with her newest position within the company, she is being requested more and more to speak on the topic of sustainability and is constantly on the go. Additionally we are constantly on the go as a family as well. Between the children's activities and family travel that gets planned, it is a wonder that I am able to have any peace and quiet for myself at times. We already have a trip planned for May that I will be doing most of the driving and it is about 1,000 miles one way on this trip. Then at the end of July we are supposed to head to San Diego California and I have volunteered to drive on my own with the twins the 1,500 miles one way to San Diego. This does not even take into account all the trips that are going to be planned for the Fall of 2010 which will include at least two trips to East Lansing and a couple of days of said trips back home in Chicago. Have to look on the bright side though, I am at least not worrying about office politics at this point however, home politics are able to be just as challenging.

The Daily Struggles

2010-01-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

It seems lately that my son is getting a bit more out of control. I have attempted to give both my son and daughter freedom within limits to explore who they are in order for them to become better people. It just seems that my son continues to go beyond the regular boundaries of normal every day life. He has taken it upon himself to scream, screech or holler about anything and every thing. He also chooses to talk back and argue about anything and everything thinking that he knows it all. I think I have been doing a pretty good job at not giving him spankings however, it does not seem that the time outs are doing all that well. It is worse when my wife is at home as well as the boy basically has totally disregard to daddy and unless mommy says something to the effect that the inter actions with daddy are not acceptable (which she is finally doing) then it just seems to a degree to egg him on even more.

The question is do I start becoming more strict and structuring his life that much more and make it so that he does not have a choice except to do as he is told. I am conflicted about this because I do not want my son to resent me as much as I have grown to resent my father. Fortunately for me, my father passed away in May of 2009 and I should be able to just get on with life. The hard part is that even though I do not have to interact with my own father any longer, he still consumes to much of my time as I am doing my best to provide a different example to both of my children and hope that they will be that much better for doing things as completely different with them versus how my father did them with me. It just seems that everything is a struggle with my son at this point and I am really not sure what it is that I want to do as I do my best to figure out what the best course of action may be.

With my daughter fortunately for the most part right now, things are good. She still has that sweet attitude that comes through and makes life pretty great. There are times were I have caught her in the act of being the antagonist in situations and for that she does get in trouble however, the good thing is that is usually few and far between that I have noticed. I just wish there was a way to encourage her to be more self sufficient and talk more. It just seems to me that she may have some sort of learning disability and yet no one pays particular attention to when I mention it. Hopefully when we go in for their belated four year progress check up and I talk with the pediatrician about it, maybe something will be noticed and we'll see if there is some testing that we are able to come up with to help determine if my thoughts are accurate on my observations of my daughter. I look forward to seeing what happens on the 22nd.

Holiday Season Survived

2010-01-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while since I have put anything out there on my blog and decided it is high time I get cracking on it once again.

I have survived the 2009 holiday season and glad that it is finally behind us. For my family the season actually starts back on October 26th as that is the anniversary of my marriage. Once that is complete then it is onto my wife's birthday, which is followed by Thanksgiving, my birthday, Hanukkah, the twins birthday, Christmas and New Year's. Talk about being a person who feels like he is running around like a chicken with it head chopped off, then you may understand how I felt.

Things started out well as I got to spend a couple of days back in Chicago for my wife's birthday. Then we drove onto my mother-in-law's for Thanksgiving and then the wife and I got a weekend away to Michigan State as well while visiting her mom. The hard part has become that my mother-in-law is starting to realize how lonely she is now that she does not have a job any longer. Granted the woman is now 73 years young however, needs something to help her feel important. I survived the trip to Toledo by repeating the mantra of, "Quality Time With Their Grandmother Is A Very Good Thing For My Twins." There were a couple of times that I could have killed someone because of being in a very confined space in which my mother-in-law lives. I was glad when my wife agreed to head back a day earlier and avoid most of the Thanksgiving traffic that is always a major drawback to that weekend.

The far part is that in December I had both my mother and mother-in-law in town at the same time for two nights. Talk about giving a guy a complex because of not really knowing what was being said between the two mothers. Plus on top of that as well, Omaha received two huge snow storms with roughly 26 inches of snow. The second of the two storms actually had us trapped in our house because the county was not able to blow it out. Fortunately the neighbors and I decided to dig out the court in which I live and made things a little easier. At that point I had my wife, the twins and my mother-in-law confined to the house with me. Fortunately I am able to hide within my home as my twins only wanted mommy or grandma and thought nothing about daddy.

Fortunately the season has now ended and we got back on a regular schedule today with the twins back in preschool however, now they go five days a week. It will be a nice change to enjoy as today I was able to get some errands run that I needed to and glad that I am again the king of my castle and supreme ruler of my domain, with input as well from the queen of the house too. Here is to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010 for everyone.

Starting To Plan Now

2009-11-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

It is hard to determine what it is that would be to help the twins celebrate birthday number 4. We have had a party by ourselves for the first birthday and parties here at the house for the second and third birthdays. The hard part is that the twins birthday is on a Tuesday this year and we were not sure what to do.

This past August our neighbors gave us an idea that seems to be a great one. Have the party at Bounce U, an indoor bounce house. It really seems like the best idea because you really do not have to do anything other than plan to have the party and invite your guests. Since I had make a personal connection with the owner of the local Bounce U, I was told to make the reservations. When the wife and I started looking over everything to get ready for the event. Going somewhat blindly with the party based on discussions with Bounce U, the wife was somewhat pissed that the price that was quoted to us did not include food. It was not until afterward that the party that I signed up for did include five pizzas and a half sheet cake plus party favors for all the kids in attendance.

So that is where the fireworks started last night. It was the simple fact that I did not remember nor write down what it was that we were doing for the party and what was included. The wife continued to be pissed off (so what else is new for me) since I did not have the answers for her questions. It was not until I was going to email the owner and looked at the website again did I discover what was included in the price quote I had gotten. Maybe next time I will do my best to be a little better prepared or hope that the wife will not get so instantaneously pissed off at me for my lack of knowledge.

Fortunately the bottom line is that we found out everything included and today I actually mailed the invitations or gave them to the people I did not have addresses for. This hopefully will make the fourth birthday as good as the first three. The best part is that we do not have to clean the house before or after the event. Talk about small favors.

Another Trip To the E.R.

2009-11-02T06:54:00.000-08:00

It gets to a point that heading to the Children's Hospital E.R. is seemingly to become routine. Isabel work up shortly after laying her down for the night with a "barking cough" and I was getting ready to take her to the E.R. myself to have her checked out. As I was running downstairs with her and listening to Isabel wheeze even more, I got more scared and concerned and decided that this one was something more than just a quick ride in the car was worthy of.

I called 911 and got paramedic help instead. It seemed from the time that I hung up with the 911 call dispatcher to the arrival of the paramedics took forever. There had been a point in which Isabel had started to turn blue and it scared the crap out my wife and I. The paramedics came into the house and quickly assessed the situation and started some sort of breathing treatment which quickly help to elevate the situation. It was a little while longer and they advised that either we could take Isabel down to the E.R. on our own or they could take us. Considering the local news reports, I deemed it better that the paramedics take us to the E.R. so that we would be able to be seen right away versus waiting with what I expected to be a crowded E.R. thanks to the pandemic of H1-N1 going around Omaha.

Got to the E.R. and quickly got into the triage room and the medical staff started their evaluation of what was happening. The doctor came in and matter of factually stated that what Isabel had been going through was a type of Croup called Stridor. It is an inflammation of the windpipe right at the throat. While it maybe severe it is manageable and something that is treatable to a degree however, it is a virus and needs to run its course. The doctor provided another breathing treatment with a steroid in it and one that was oral as well and after about thirty minutes or so in the E.R. we were sent on our way back home after every thing was said and done.

The one thing that kept running through my head when we were in the heat of the moment was the instructions that the nurse who lead the child birthing class. We had been reminded time and time again that if things were that concerning, that you do not attempt to be a hero and call for medical help. Keeping that in my mind convinced me that I need to call the paramedics to help my daughter quickly to start getting the help she needed. The other thing I know for sure that it is nice to have neighbors who are more than willing to help out as well when your family is having a medical crisis. Turns out everything was all right however, glad that I found out the right way and was able to get the people here to help me get through versus relying on myself completely. Remember, we only get one chance in everything in life that we do and we have to do what ever we are able to in order to make sure that it is right.

The Pleasure Of Sick Kids

2009-10-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday the 21st I took the twins to get the H1-N1 vaccine and hoped everything would be good. Sammy last Saturday night spiked a fever of about 101 degrees. Gave him some Motrin and he was good until Sunday afternoon when he re-spiked that fever. More Motrin and everything seemed to be going swimmingly. Isabel went to dace class and Sammy with daddy's help worked on hockey skills. Tuesday the twins went to preschool and Sammy went to hockey practice as well. Wednesday come and supposedly went until the wife checked on the twins as usual. Turns out Sammy spiked that fever once again. It started raining this morning (October 29th) at about 3:30 am and it woke me up. Heard Sammy coughing so I went and checked on him. Sure enough the fever was back once again with a temperature of 102.1 registering on the thermometer.

Called the pediatrician's office and finally talked with her and the great doctor said, "Can you bring him in at 1:15 pm?" and I said perfect. Got to the doctor's office and she came in and checked him out. Turns out all it winds up being apparently is basically a cold with a slight ear infection once again for the little man. Not enough of the systems for H1-N1 and considering Sammy just had that vaccine eight days ago, would not be worth while to test as the result would probably be a false positive at this point. All I know for sure is that I am glad that it is something that hopefully will not prevent Sammy from hockey practice nor Halloween trick-or-treating as well. Doctor said that she will call on Saturday to double check on him and advise what Sammy will be able to do. Man how I love our twins pediatrician. Dr. Mary C. Dek is the best and I am so glad we were referred to hear when we moved to Omaha.

Glutton For Punishment

2009-10-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what you would not do for your kids. I just got back to Omaha from a week long trip that took us to Chicago, which is always a ton of fun for me, and Toledo Ohio. Toledo is the hard one because that is where my mother-in-law lives. The hard part is that I really hate my MIL's home because it is so small and it is a starter house that she and her husband purchased when they were first married. Plus the fact that the house is not baby proofed what so ever and usually turns into a field day for the twins to explore and get in trouble with. I have a hard time as well because I have to adhere to my MIL's wishes and whims and I am not able to be as carefree as I am at home.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad that my twins get to see both of their grandmothers through the year however, I just hate being out of my element and having to abide by someone else's rules. I actually got to leave for about 36 hours and join the wife at her alma mater however, that was not what it is all cracked up to be. Then to be the even better in-law child, I am returning again in November for roughly nine days of pure living hell in Toledo. The wife has business plans for the three work days prior to Thanksgiving and then of course is all the holiday and birthday shopping that the wife and the MIL will do so that we have to schlep everything back with us for another long drive home.

Am I bad that I really do not want to do this any longer? I know that I will do it because the one thing I keep in mind is that quality time with grandparents is always a good thing for the twins. It is just starting to irk me a little that I have signed up for this once again and need to limit the time on these trips. Plus the fact that in December, the twins will get to have both grandmothers for week long visits again.

So I will put on my happy face, :-) once again and do all sorts of driving so that my twins get more time with grandmas. Next year I am even being more adventurous when I head to Southern California for my maternal side of the family's reunion in San Diego. That one I am at least planning some stops along the way to San Diego to see people I am not fortunate enough to see at this point and hopefully that will change after next summer. Not to mention how many times I will drive to Toledo again next year. I am just realizing that I am truthfully a glutton for punishment is some form or another.

Do You Ever Have Those Days

2009-10-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those days that you just wonder what is going to happen next and how crazy your children are going to be. Hanging currently in Toledo OH at my mother-in-law's is a bit more challenging for my twins. My son Sammy has already gotten into a couple of time outs because he is very hyperactive and wants to do so many things. Sammy has snatched things away from his sister Isabel and of course has been talking back to me again. I do my best not to be as harsh as my father was to me growing up however, there are times that I wonder what I am able to do differently than I am already doing. The good thing is that I am making sure that once the initial heat of the anger of the disappointment of Sammy's behavior is over, I sit down and talk calmly to Sammy hoping he will get a better idea of why his behavior is not acceptable. I head out in a little while to join the wife in East Lansing Michigan for Michigan States homecoming festivities however, my mind will be back here in Toledo as my mother-in-law who is 73 will be dealing with my twins on her own once again. It is something that I struggle with regularly on each visit that we make to either grandmas. I will not stop coming to see the grandmas because I think it is very important for the twins to have quality time with grandmas.

Another World Wind Adventure

2009-10-14T14:35:00.001-07:00

After a great weekend helping to host the At Home Dads 14th Annual Convention I embarked on another wild adventure. I left Omaha on Monday and headed to my all time favorite city that I used to call home. I arrived into Chicago at about 5:00 pm and will be here until Thursday morning. I took my twins to the Chicago Children's Museum and also to the Nature Museum as well in the last two days. It is always a lot of fun to take the twins some where. People are always amazed at what I do toting twins around. I usually just go along and keep it going as best as I have learned how. I also look at it from the point of view that I have it made compared those who as we say in the multiple World who have singletons. I keep my twins on a pretty strict schedule and do not like to deviate from it to much.

Thursday I continue the adventure by taking my twins to Toledo Ohio to visit grandma. (my mother-in-law) The good thing is that I am also going to get away for about 36 hours with my wife once again to a small degree. I am meeting the wife up in East Lansing Michigan for homecoming. Not to exciting for me however, do my best to be the dutiful husband. After getting back to Toledo OH late Saturday, we do not leave again for home until Monday the 19th. Talk about a long ride. I will be driving 711 miles door to door in one shot after watching my beloved Bears ideally beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night football.

Once home we are there for roughly four weeks and start the adventure all over again and actually will be in Toledo from roughly November 20th until November 29th to cover being with my mother-in-law for Thanksgiving and helping her get all the Winter Holiday shopping complete for the twins before heading home. Just so much fun for me to wind up with a ton of time watching the twins as the wife is off gallivanting around with her mother. Why in the hell do I sign myself up for this shit? I guess I do my best to be a good husband (even most times it is not appreciated) and a good son-in-law. At least I did not do a dozen trips back on forth to Toledo in 2009 like I did in 2008.

14th Annual At Home Dads Convention

2009-10-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that we have finally had the 14th Annual At Home Dads Convention. I have put in a lot of hard work with my fellow LinOma Dads group in presenting the best convention/conference that we were able to and must say that it came together beautifully. It was great to meet some new dads as well as reconnect with some of the other dads that I have spent time with previously at the last convention that I attended in 2006 and the annual At Home Dad Fishing trip.

Everything started out on Thursday night with our Dads Night Out for the convention. Had a good dinner and there were guys that were interested in the Nebraska Missouri football game more so than I was. Once back at the hotel, I got to spend some time with Liam Smith and made a new connection and hope to build on it. Friday was a lot of fun as well at the Strategic Air Command Museum. We were lead around by Colonel Everett (Ev) H. Webster (retired) who was very knowledgeable and quite entertaining. Just wish at time that he would have spoken a little louder. At the end of the tour some of us took our turn in the flight simulator and I even got in there and surprised myself with what I was doing. Got back to the hotel and waited to attend a meeting and realized that I had time to pick up Mike "Mile High Dad" Bates at the airport. Wound up with Chris O'Dowd as well and provided them both with rides back to the hotel versus having them waiting for the hotel shuttle. The meet and greet was pretty good and then we all went in opposite directions for dinner. I took six dads with me to a steak house across the street that I have a personal relationship with the general manager and the executive chef. Needless to say the guys were blown away a little. After dinner I was able to catch up with my friend Mat Moore who recently moved from Omaha to Minneapolis. It was a great time catching up with Mat.

Saturday was the big event. Everyone got to the convention site without a problem even though we got 3 1/2 inches of snow over night. The Key Notes were pretty good and the breakout sessions I attended were quite informative as well. At the end everything was wrapped up with my friend Brian Chalmers annual slide show. It was another amazing time to be sure. Dinner on Saturday night was at the Upstream Brewery and was a lot of fun. Unfortunately I was too tired to make it to the end however, had fun none the less any how.

Glad that I have a break planned for a little bit as we will quickly go into working on the 15th Annual Convention which will is scheduled on October 2, 2010. I just hope that we are able to match the 49 dads from this year and ideally get another 26 more new and veteran dads to attend this awesome event.